Lagos held a traffic management conference to basically evaluate the impact of traffic on the metroplis and chart a course of action that will bring positive development to the management of traffic in the state.
Personally, I'm impressed at the initiative. I await to digest communiques released and observe the actions taken. Like is typical of Nigerian communiques and reports, I hope this will not be another waste of paper that will sit on some shelf forever.
Back to the Conference proper. Lagos DOES need a forum of this kind and regularly so. I have always maintained that moving around Lagos is mostly a waste of time. More traction can be gained from the tools of communication such as phones and online services (email and internet). Even though I doubt that this exactly what Mr. Hirsh had in mind.
I was not at the conference nor did I even hear of it beforehand. So what exactly was discussed and how can we post humorously offer our own two kobo contribution?
I live at Ajah, traffic in and out of there is hell 8 days a week. I dread having to commute either in or out of that vicinity but I do have to.
The biggest cause of traffic recently from my observation is road construction. The number of projects going on around the city and the pace of work contributes immensely to the traffic congestion that we experience these days. However, behind this main cause is the project management (this is my humble opinion and I stand to be corrected). I wonder what social aspects were taken into consideration when planning to embark on the projects. How would they affect commuters and for how long? How would traffic be redirected and managed? What alternative routes have been planned out? What is the average vehicular throughput per hour? etc., etc., etc. I am no traffic management expert but I think this are just commonsense questions. I mean if 85,000 cars (LCC estimates) are driving through Lekki roundabout a day, how do you get them through with the shortest possible delay? If the stadium access road is to be renovated, what's the best time to carry out road work? I mean there are lots of factors to consider but that's why there are lots of experts contracted.
Other causes of traffic congestion I have observed include the public (or should I say private) transportation system. Commuter buses are wont to stop right in the middle of the road to pick or dispatch passengers; Road ethics and manners of drivers, especially (I might add) uniformed personnel who should know better and enforce order; broken down vehicles and minor/major accidents (mostly caused by bad road manners); illegal parking and interestingly our traffic management system (which brings us back to Mr. Hirsh's point!).
I cannot expand on all these points now but I will say that managing traffic has gone beyond installing traffic lights or stationing traffic wardens. Yes, we do need more and wider roads but how do you get traffic flowing within the current infrastrucure. Some cities in the world have very stringent and expensive solutions but I don't think we grown to that level.
For one thing though, we need a massive overhaul of mass transportation system. This is extremely key in reducing traffic in the city and can serve as first steps to introducing a congestion levy as they have in places like London. Lagos even has extensive inland waterways which are under-used.
To be able to manage traffic the authorities need to have credible information regarding traffic flow and flash points. This is not so difficult in Lagos knowing that 80% of flow is to Victoria Island in the morning and out of there in the evening. This is a simplistic example of course but traffic information is necessary to enable people to make better choices.
High density areas should discourage vehicular traffic. More parking lots should be provided. The average Nigerian would drive into his bedroom if he could! Everybody wants to park right in front of the building they are going. Business premises do not have adequate parking and they don't care for the socio-economic effect that has on the larger society. More lots like the Mega Plaza parking lot should be built and organisations like Silverbird Galleria should be made to build one or be taxed for one. Banks are also guilty here especially on Oyin Jolayemi Street on Victoria Island.
When planning routes and building roads, the authorities should consider alternatives and feeder lanes to let off vehicles at various convenient points. Why should I drive almost 5km past my destination so I can turn off? Case in point Oshodi-Apapa Expressway!
So as not to belabour this issue as a "non-expert", the final observation authorities need to consider is shaping commuter mindset. Why should a family have 5 cars on the road everyday? Why do we feel that staying in a line is taboo. So people get to a light trafic situation and believe that they must shunt all the way to the front because they are more entitled to get there first. Blare your sirens, beep your horns and generally drive others off the road because you think you can!
I can go on but the point I'm trying to make is that for an effective traffic management system in Lagos, the authorities in charge need a really comprehensive strategy rather the adhoc measures that are currently being used.
I am sure Lagos State could do a lot with that N3billion Mr. Hirsh estimates we are losing.
